


Dating Susan Bones

by GryffindorTom, RavenclawRich93 (GryffindorTom)



Series: The Betrothal Situation [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-08-15 14:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8060137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GryffindorTom/pseuds/GryffindorTom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/GryffindorTom/pseuds/RavenclawRich93
Summary: Susan Bones, a Fifth Year Hufflepuff is in love with fellow Fifth Year, Harry Potter, leader of Dumbledore's Army and the Boy-Who-Lived. The only thing is that Harry has to hide from his friends the fact that he is Dating Susan Bones. Prequel to The Betrothal Situation.





	1. 01 – The DA Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> A Series of Firsts presents…  
> The Betrothal Situation: Dating Susan Bones – Rating T  
> Chapter 01 – The DA Meeting  
> Summary – Susan Bones, a Fifth Year Hufflepuff is in love with fellow Fifth Year, Harry Potter, leader of Dumbledore's Army and the Boy-Who-Lived. The only thing is that Harry has to hide from his friends the fact that he is Dating Susan Bones. Prequel to The Betrothal Situation.  
> Pairings – Harry/Susan, Neville/Ginny  
> Warnings – Contains some mild language and violence throughout.  
> Inspired by and uses text from – The Betrothal Situation

** Room of Requirement, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland **

** 10th October 1995 **

Harry Potter was doing a rare thing in his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he was smiling! He had started the DA session when he saw a very good looking redhead. The redhead that had popped up in his sights was Susan Bones, the niece of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones.

Harry remembered the first time that he had seen the young lady who had set his stomach afloat and that was the meeting on the first Hogsmeade visit of the year, the one that he found members for the DA.

It was the only thing that, in reality, he could thank Hermione Granger for. Without the actions that the bushy haired bookworm for, Harry knew that he probably would have had to end up settling for the bookworm, or worse Ginny Weasley, his best friend's sister, a girl who he knew was out of bounds for the pure fact that she looked a dead ringer for his mother, Lily Potter.

Harry still could not get over the fact that, during the previous night's game of Truth or Dare that the Fifth-Year Gryffindor boys played, Dean Thomas had got his friend drunk on Firewhiskey that the Weasley Twins had smuggled in via the secret passages from Honeydukes.

To top it all off, Seamus Finnegan, another of the Gryffindor boys, who was equally as drunk AS Ron, dared the redhead to go down to the Slytherin Common Room, with the dare being to kiss the Slytherin Ice Princess, Daphne Greengrass. Ron returned, with his gentlemanly parts frozen, and a visit to Madam Pomfrey being required, resulting him in missing the first DA session!

Harry walked around the Room of Requirements keeping one eye on everyone, with the other one on Susan Bones. Eventually it was time to wind the DA Meeting up and so Harry watched everyone leave the room.

-Dating Susan Bones-

Susan noticed Harry was going to hold her back and she turned to her best friend, Hannah Abbot. "Wait for me in the Common Room Hannah, I think Harry needs to speak to me."

"Why Susan? Is it so you can give Mr Potter there a kiss?" the blonde-haired girl asked her friend. "I know you fancy him and that you want to snog his socks off!

"Hannah Abbott! Please don't put your nose into things that don't concern you!" Susan said, trying to hide a smile. "It is very unbecoming of a lady!"

"Oh Bones!" Hannah said in a sing song voice, smiling at how she was trying to wind her friend up, "Just make sure that his Snake is very well protected!"

"Behave yourself Abbott or I will let Justin know about how you were staring at his arse throughout Herbology," the redhead countered.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would if it stopped you from getting on my back about my feelings for Harry!" Susan said, going as red as her hair. Hannah suddenly left the Room of Requirements without her friend knowing. Suddenly she heard footsteps approach her.

"Hello Susan." A voice came from behind her. Susan turned to see that it was the leader of Dumbledore's Army himself, Harry Potter.

-Dating Susan Bones-

Harry approached the girl, but he felt funny during the DA session, only when he was around Susan. He knew he had to say something to her, lest he be a fool to himself.

"Hello Susan" Harry said, smiling. He saw Susan turn around, considering his eyes. ' _Why do women always do that, consider my eyes as if they wanted me?_ ' Thinking of the first thing that he could say, he decided to complement her. "You did very good tonight Susan, better than people like Hermione or the Chasers."

"Thanks Harry. My Aunt Amelia taught me a little bit, as she is head of the DMLE, as you know. That means that she oversees the Aurors and Hit Wizards." Susan said, returning Harry's smile. "She wanted me to be able to protect myself in case You-Know-Who is back."

"So…so she believes me?" Harry asked, hoping what he was saying was true.

"She does." Susan confirmed "She also taught me things so I could look after the man I have feelings for."

"Who is it Susan?" Harry asked, the knot in his chest tightening. Closing her eyes, Susan sighed.

"You see Harry, he has these emerald eyes which I find really, really cute," she said, going red at the sight of seeing her crush. "He also has hair which is really messy, yet extremely windswept, like he had just come out of a dive hunting for a Snitch. I just really-"

Susan suddenly stopped because she felt Harry melt his lips into hers, his one hand on her waist, the other cupping her face. Feeling his tongue move across her lips, she opened up, her tongue forming a duel for dominance. Harry let his eyes open when suddenly he observed the name Delores Umbridge appear nearby on the Marauders Map which he had open.

Straightening their uniform, they left the Room of Requirement, Harry clearing the map so Umbridge would not be aware of what it was, heading in separate directions to their common rooms.

Heading to Gryffindor Tower, Harry bumped into Umbridge. "Well…well…well," Umbridge said in her sickly-sweet voice, smiling, "What are you doing out of your Common Room at this time of night Mr Potter?"

-Dating Susan Bones-

Delores Umbridge was smiling. She had just received word from a Slytherin student, Pansy Parkinson, that there would be a meeting of students on the Seventh-Floor corridor, a meeting that would be in contravention of Educational Decree number 24, a decree made legal by her dear Minister, Cornelius Fudge. The decree was created to disband all student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs.

The decree was enacted following information she had been given by Willy Widdershins, a conman and vandal who worked often with Mundungus Fletcher, as part of a Plea Bargain on charges of Muggle baiting, charges laid by Amelia Bones and Arthur Weasley.

Leaving her office next to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, she headed up to the Seventh Floor where she bumped into the bane of her dear Cornelius's life, Harry Potter.

Heading to Gryffindor Tower, Harry bumped into Umbridge. "Well…well…well," Umbridge said in her sickly-sweet voice, smiling, "What are you doing out of your Common Room at this time of night Mr Potter?"

Harry looked at the pink cardigan wearing toad and smiled. "Professor Umbridge, I was heading to Gryffindor Tower, having been to see my girlfriend to inspect a broom closet." He said, channelling what his godfather would say to a professor.

"Detention Potter for being out after curfew." Umbridge said, a toad like grin appearing on her face.

Umbridge watched the raven-haired teen walk away and frowned. ' _Potter is exactly like his father was when he was a Hit Wizard, lying to his superiors. Merlin help us if he ever becomes one! I must see Cornelius and let him know what Potter was up to!_ ' the Defence Professor thought as she watched the teen away, all ideas of a bust against an illegal club completely out of her mind.

** Hufflepuff Common Room, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland **

** 10th October 1995 **

"So, what was it like Bones?" Hannah asked her friend. "Did you get to snog Potter?"

"Damn girl, you snogged Harry Potter!" Megan Jones, one of their fellow Fifth Years said, smiling. "Susan Bones, you are a lucky bitch!"

"Come on Bones, give us details girl!" Sophie Roper, another of their year mates said in mock scandal. "Is his kissing style any good?"

"Only you would ask when you have snogged half of our year!" Megan said, trying to reel her friend back in. "I could list it easily as you've snogged Boot, Malfoy, Goldstein, Zabini, Nott, Goyle, Crabbe-"

"Ok! Anyway, you can hardly talk Jones! Don't forget you tried to snog Longbottom when he had that one dance with you at the Yule Ball!" Sophie said, "And then scarpered when Ginny Weasley acted like a dragon at you!"

"What! Longbottom and Weasley!" Megan Said. "She has to have him on Love Potions!"

"Anyway, by the look on Susan's face, she probably came over the bedtime kiss that she gave Harry Potter!" Hannah said, smiling as her friend went red. The girls continued chatting throughout the night, mainly spending the time discussing Harry Potter, but little did they expect their friend want more of Harry Potter!


	2. 02 – Bones and Potter

** Great Hall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland **

** 21 ** ** st ** ** October 1995 **

It had been nearly two weeks since Harry Potter had kissed his fellow fifth year, Susan Bones, in the Room of Requirement following the successful first meeting of Dumbledore's Army, the DA and he was feeling down. Because of being tailed by his friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, he had not been able to get to speak to Susan alone.

What made it worse for Harry was that every time he had seen her, she had been surrounded by her friends, Hannah Abbott and her new boyfriend, Ernie Macmillan, Megan Jones and Sophie Roper. He knew he needed to see Susan alone as otherwise he would end up going barmy at the lack of contact.

' _If only Sirius could see me now, thinking about nothing but Susan, he would probably call me pathetic!'_ he thought, wishing that he could feel Susan's lips connecting to his.

Looking at Susan, he saw her writing a note onto a Muggle notepad that she kept in her bag. Finishing her meal, Harry watched as she left the Hufflepuff table and went past the Gryffindor table, where he was seated, and passed him a note in a move like a spy would.

Unfolding the note, he saw Susan's writing and smiled.

' _Harry,_

_I really miss you. Meet me today after the match in the place where we talked last._

_Love, Susan.'_

Knowing it was nearly time for the game against Slytherin, Harry felt optimistic about Gryffindor's chances; they had, after all, never lost to Malfoy's team. Admittedly Ron, the newest member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, was still not performing to Wood's standard, but he was working extremely hard to improve. His greatest weakness was a tendency to lose confidence when he made a blunder; if he let in one goal he became flustered and was therefore likely to miss more.

On the other hand, Harry had seen Ron make some truly spectacular saves when he was on form: During one memorable practice, he had hung one-handed from his broom and kicked the Quaffle so hard away from the goal hoop that it soared the length of the pitch and through the centre hoop at the other end.

Finishing his meal, he knew that it was time to head down to the pitch, and the game that was ahead of him...

** Quidditch Stadium, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland **

** 21 ** ** st ** ** October 1995 **

The match, Harry would later describe, was a lot of work, but he would be glad that the Gryffindor team had won the game. It had been tight in the scoring, especially as Slytherin were using Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle as a pair of human bludgers.

Eventually Harry landed when he heard a snort from behind him and turned around, still holding the Snitch tightly in his hand: Draco Malfoy had landed close by; white-faced with fury, he was still managing to sneer.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper . . . but then he was born in a bin...in fact I must ask, did you enjoy my lyrics, Potter?"

Harry did not answer, trying to think about his meeting later that he had planned with Susan, turning to meet the rest of the team who were now landing one by one, yelling and punching the air in triumph, all except Ron, who had dismounted from his broom over by the goalposts and was making his way slowly back to the changing rooms alone.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called, as Katie and Alicia hugged Harry. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly - we wanted to sing about his mother, see -"

"Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look.

Fred and George had realized what Malfoy was talking about. Halfway through shaking Harry's hand they stiffened, looking around at Malfoy. Angelina, seeing the potential pasting that Fred was going to give Malfoy, grabbed him by the arm and proceeded to snog him, trying to take his mind of the blonde ponce.

"- but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" said Malfoy, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay -"

Harry looked around for not just Madam Hooch, but Susan. He saw Susan running down from where she and her friends were in the Hufflepuff stands, but Madam Hooch was still berating Crabbe for his illegal Bludger attack.

"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it-"

Harry was not aware of releasing George, all he knew was that a second later both were sprinting at Malfoy. Forgetting the presence of Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape, who it seemed to Harry was just standing there, knowing that he would lose his temper, he drew back the fist clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as he could into Malfoy's stomach.

"Harry! HARRY! GEORGE! NO!" He could hear girls' voices screaming, Malfoy yelling, George swearing, a whistle blowing, and the bellowing of the crowd around him, but he did not care, not until somebody in the vicinity yelled "IMPEDIMENTA!" and only when he was knocked over backward by the force of the spell did he abandon the attempt to punch every inch of Malfoy he could reach...

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch, as Harry leapt to his feet again; it was she who had hit him with the Impediment Jinx. She was holding her whistle in one hand and a wand in the other, her broom lay abandoned several feet away. Malfoy was curled up on the ground, whimpering and moaning, his nose bloody.

George was sporting a swollen lip from the assault whereas Fred was sporting a swollen lip from his being forced to snog the captain, with Vincent Crabbe was cackling in the background.

"I've never seen behaviour like it!" Madam Hooch shouted, her wand still in her hand. "Get up to the castle, both of you, Now!"

Harry and George marched off the pitch, both panting, neither saying a word to each other. The howling and jeering of the crowd grew fainter and fainter until they reached the entrance hall, where they could hear nothing except the sound of their own footsteps. Harry became aware that something was still struggling in his right hand, the knuckles of which he had bruised against Malfoy's jaw; looking down he saw the Snitch's silver wings protruding from between his fingers, struggling for release.

They had barely reached the door of Professor McGonagall's office when she came marching along the corridor behind them. "In!"

She strode around behind her desk and faced them, quivering with rage as she threw a Gryffindor scarf that she was wearing onto the floor.

"Well?" she said. "Explain yourselves!"

"Malfoy provoked us," said Harry stiffly. "And you, along with that useless waste of grease and Dumbledore were just stood there watching us. And you wonder why no one comes to you Professor."

"Provoked you?" shouted Professor McGonagall, slamming a fist onto her desk so that her tartan biscuit tin slid sideways off it and burst open, littering the floor with Ginger Newts. "He'd just lost, hadn't he, of course he wanted to provoke you! You should have walked away and spoke to a professor. But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you two decided to give an exhibition of Muggle duelling! Have you any idea what you've-?"

"Look, I'm sorry, satisfied?" Harry said, sarcastically. "I am completely fed up of the crap that I have to suffer in this place. I don't know why I bother coming to speak to a Professor when al I get told is to either keep my head down, get accused, or get a fraud like Lockhart try and obliviate me. Hell, even last year was a waste of time when I tell the Minister, the biggest figure in authority in the Wizarding World the truth over something I witness, and get called a liar."

Harry walked out of the office with his temper causing his magic to flare. He knew that he had to calm down, especially as he was about to go and see Susan. He just hoped that she didn't want to say that it was a one-time thing only, so he took several deep breaths, and headed to the Room of Requirements.

**Room of Requirements, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland**

**21** **st** **October 1995**

As Harry arrived in the Room of Requirements, still wearing his Gryffindor Quidditch kit, having not changed, he had walked through the door when his lips were attacked by a pair of lips belonging to Susan Bones.

Leaning himself into the kiss, Harry remembered that he was lucky in more than one way, especially with the feelings he had for the redhead. ' _It is a good job that Susan is in love with me. I don't know what it would be like without her. I knew it was love I felt for her before the Third Task, and thank goodness for Sirius telling me that everything was true, and not a love potion induced feeling, especially after Vane tried to potion me last year!'_

Eventually the two of them had to come up for air, the need to breath vital having not mastered the skill of breathing through the nose whilst kissing, when Harry, having had Sirius for a godfather knew the one thing to say to Susan in this moment.

"It that is the level of kisses I am going to get all of the time Bones, then I might keep you around!"

Susan looked at him and giggled, knowing where the line had come from. She stopped giggling and smiled at Harry. "If Auntie Amelia heard you saying that, she would neuter Padfoot, especially with him in his Grim form!"

Harry looked at Susan in shock! ' _How does Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, know about Sirius, and especially his Padfoot form_!'

"I know what you are thinking Harry, and I know how Auntie Amelia knows about Padfoot, or should I say Sirius Orion Black, the man who was to become my Uncle?" Susan asked, seeing the shocked look on Harry's face. "Auntie Amelia was engaged to Sirius when we were both infants, but then he got locked up on their wedding day. I know he was never the secret keeper to your parents, and I know Auntie Amelia hasn't seen her fiancé since before He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned."

"That's because Sirius is under a...Fidelius...Charm that the Headmaster cast." Harry said, admiring his beautiful redhead girlfriend. Suddenly he did a double take at the realisation that he had just made.

"Hang on...if your Aunt is the head of the DMLE, and because Sirius is innocent, how come he never got a trial, or even taken him into the Ministry for a trial?"

"Simple reason. Fudge and his cronies." Susan said, "Auntie hates the Minister as much as he hates her. Between him, Umbridge, Malfoy and the Headmaster, they managed to get it so she could have nothing to do with Sirius's case, citing conflicts of interests. She knew the truth about your parents, being close to them and Sirius, but Dumbledore said she was 'too emotionally involved.'"

"That...that bastard." Harry shouted, annoyed at what his girlfriend has said. "He...he knew that Sirius was innocent thanks to your aunt and he...he let Sirius almost die in Azkaban!"

As Harry sat down on a sofa that the Room of Requirement provided, Susan cuddling next to him, he knew that he needed to calm down again, especially as he had been only slightly calm before Susan snogging him, then his temper rising following the revelation about his godfather.

He knew he would write to Sirius later, but first the only thing Harry wanted to do was cuddle up to Susan, holding her in his arms, just letting the world go by.

Little did he know that he would be banned by Umbridge from ever playing Quidditch again, thanks to his argument with Malfoy, or that Hagrid had returned. Thank goodness that he had a ready-made excuse if and when Ron and Hermione would start asking him where he had been, all thanks to Susan and her Housemates in Hufflepuff.


	3. 03 - Feelings and Hagrid

_Previously on Dating Susan Bones…_

_As Harry sat down on a sofa that the Room of Requirement provided, Susan cuddling next to him, he knew that he needed to calm down again, especially as he had been only slightly calm before Susan snogging him, then his temper rising following the revelation about his godfather._

_He knew he would write to Sirius later, but first the only thing Harry wanted to do was cuddle up to Susan, holding her in his arms, just letting the world go by._

_Little did he know that he would be banned by Umbridge from ever playing Quidditch again, thanks to his argument with Malfoy, or that Hagrid had returned. Thank goodness that he had a ready-made excuse if and when Ron and Hermione would start asking him where he had been, all thanks to Susan and her Housemates in Hufflepuff._

_**Room of Requirements, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland** _

_**24th October 1995** _

The room was suddenly full of shouts of " _Stupefy_!", the stunning spell, causing people to fly in all directions, missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air. Harry was too quick for Neville, who went spinning through the air, hitting the ceiling and landing with a clatter on top of a bookshelf, causing everyone to giggle out loud. Neville got up and approached the DA leader, ready to try again.

Glancing around he thought he had been right to suggest that they practice the basics first; there was a lot of shoddy spell work going on; many people were failing in their attempts at stunning their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backward a few paces or wince as the feeble spell whooshed over them.

" _Stupefy_!" said Neville, and Harry, caught unawares, feeling himself fly, hitting the floor, his sight turning to darkness.

"I DID IT!" said Neville gleefully. "I've never done it before — I DID IT!"

"Good one!" Hermione cheered her housemate encouragingly, deciding not to point out that in a real duel situation Neville's opponent was unlikely to be staring in the opposite direction. Reviving Harry, Hermione returned to her attempts with Ron, who was belittling her effort.

"Listen, Neville, can you take it in turns to practice with Ron and Hermione for a couple of minutes so I can walk around and see how the rest are doing?" Harry said as he got up, moving into the middle of the room. Something very odd was happening to Zacharias Smith; every time he opened his mouth to stun Anthony Goldstein, he would find himself being stunned, yet Anthony did not seem to be making a sound.

Harry did not have to look far for the solution of the mystery, however; Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking it in turns to point their wands at his back.

"Couldn't resist . . ." Harry walked around the other pairs, trying to correct those who were doing the spell wrong. Ginny was teamed with Michael Corner; she was doing very well, whereas Michael was either very bad or unwilling to jinx her. Ernie Macmillan was flourishing his wand unnecessarily, giving his partner time to get in under his guard; the Creevey brothers were enthusiastic but erratic and mainly responsible for all the chaos that was being caused in the background.

Luna Lovegood was similarly patchy, occasionally sending Justin Finch-Fletchley flying, but at other times merely causing his hair to stand on end.

Pulling his whistle from his pocket and blowing it, everyone stopped. "That wasn't bad," said Harry, "but there's definite room for improvement."

Zacharias Smith glared at him. "Let's try again..."

He moved off around the room again, stopping here and there to make suggestions.

Suddenly he saw his girlfriend was struggling to cast the stunner at Cho Chang so he headed over to her and held her wrist, knowing that she was slightly off with her positioning for the stunner. Harry knew his girlfriend's motive, her taking the Chinese girl on as a punishment for the Ravenclaw Sixth Year making doe eyes at him, but didn't want to question her as he didn't want to be held responsible for her actions from the remainder of the DA.

As soon as Susan cast the stunner, Harry knew that he wanted to finish the session early, so blowing his whistle again, he closed the meeting, asking for Ernie, Susan, Hannah and Justin to stay behind.

He watched as Hermione walked over to him, giving him an inquisitive look. Knowing everyone was leaving, he took her to one side, intent on telling a lie to keep her from his true intentions.

"Hermione, I know it seems like I'm spending all of the time with the Hufﬂepuffs, and not with you and Ron, but they are helping me with a problem I have, a personal problem which I know if I asked Neville, he would have no idea, and Ron has the emotional range of a teaspoon, so I dare not ask him."

"Surely you could have asked me, Professor Dumbledore, or Professor Lupin about it?" Hermione asked, confused as to why she was being left out.

"I would have talked to Remus, but let's face it, when we were at…his home, he didn't want to talk about it" Harry replied, "Professor Dumbledore is too old, plus the advice I need is something I…something I just need to talk to someone else about."

"Why Harry?"

"Simple…Its…it's about…feelings." Harry said. "Feelings about someone close to me…someone who I totally and utterly am in love with."

"But why Hannah, Ernie, Justin and Susan?"

"Easy. Susan is dating someone in the DA, Hannah and Ernie are together and Justin is dating Katie Bell, you know, our housemate." Harry explained to the bushy haired girl, knowing that her mind would put two and two together and compute five. "That's why I think they are the most qualified to help give me advice."

"Oh."

Hermione left the Room of Requirements, leaving Harry with the four DA members in question.

"I liked how you were full of bollocks." Justin said as soon as Hermione had left the room. "We shall leave you and Susan to get up to whatever it is you two lovebirds get up to."

"And remember, no shagging yet…unless you want to get caught!" Hannah said, smiling. "Ernie and I are supposed to be on patrol in a bit so we won't find you, you crazy kids!"

As the trio of Hufﬂepuffs left the Room of Requirements, Harry stuck two fingers up at Justin, who responded back in kind, leaving Harry and Susan together.

_**Hagrid's Hut, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland** _

_**24th October 1995** _

Professor Umbridge was smiling. She had, in her role as High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, a position given to her by Cornelius Fudge under Educational Decree Number 23, a decree which stated that Dolores Jane Umbridge has been appointed to the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor. As part of her role, she had supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to inspect the lessons of her fellow staff members. This meant that she could inspect the first class back of the Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Rubeus Hagrid.

Having just viewed a Slytherin/Gryffindor Forth Year lesson, which they were studying a creature known as a Niffler, she was inspecting the Fifth Years Gryffindor/Hufflepuff lesson, which contained the person who, in her mind, was disrupting the efforts of her dear Cornelius to keep the Wizarding Worlds peace, Harry Potter.

Heading to Neville, she was having to suffer listening to that terrible half-breed grunt about Thestrals, a creature that she knew was not on the official Ministry approved syllabus until a person who took their Naturism Mastery.

Heading to Neville, who she knew was would be a nervous wreck if she talked to him, she made a toad like grin, which would remind Neville later of his toad, Trevor.

"You can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said.

Neville nodded.

"Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My . . . my grandad," said Neville.

"And what do you think of them?" she said, waving her stubby hand at the horses, who by now had stripped a great deal of the carcass down to bone.

"Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. "Well, they're…erm…okay…"

"'Students…are…too…intimidated…to…admit…they…are…frightened…'" muttered Umbridge, making another note on her clipboard.

"No!" said Neville, looking upset, "no, I'm not scared of them…I…"

"It's quite all right," said Umbridge, patting Neville on the shoulder with what she evidently intended to be an understanding smile, though it looked more like a leer to Harry.

"Well, Hagrid," she turned to look up at him again, speaking once more in that loud, slow voice, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with. You will receive" — she mimed taking something from the air in front of her — "the results of your inspection" — she pointed at the clipboard — "in ten days' time." She held up ten stubby little fingers, then, her smile wider and more toad like than ever before beneath her green hat, she bustled from their midst, leaving Hermione shaking with fury and Neville confused and upset, with Harry swearing vengeance on the toad.

"That foul, lying, twisting old gargoyle!" stormed Hermione half an hour later, as they made their way back up to the castle through the channels they had made earlier in the snow. "You see what she's up to? It's her thing about half-breeds all over again! She's trying to make out Hagrid's some kind of dim-witted troll, just because he had a giantess for a mother — and oh, it's not fair, that really wasn't a bad lesson at all — I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again, but Thestrals are fine — in fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"

"Umbridge said they're dangerous," said Ron.

"Well, it's like Hagrid said, they can look after themselves," said Hermione impatiently, "and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to us before Mastery level, but, well, they are very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."

"Do you?" Harry asked her quietly.

She looked horror-struck.

"Oh Harry — I'm sorry — no, of course I don't — that was a really stupid thing to say —"

"It's okay," he said quickly, "don't worry…"

"I'm surprised so many people could see them," said Ron. "Three in a class…"

Hearing Ron be so blasé about the situation, and by extension, his parent's death, and the deaths of relatives of his classmates, Harry walked off, frowning at how Ron was being.

"You have the emotional range of a teaspoon Ronald," Hermione said, frowning. Leaving the redhead, she decided to chase after Harry, so she could comfort him. Heading outside, she saw the raven haired teen helping Hagrid with the marshalling of a Niffler through the maze that Hagrid had set up for the next class he had, intent on testing the reactions of it.

' _I am going to kick Ronald's arse when I am next near him._ ' Hermione thought as she went back into the castle, aiming to speak to the Gryffindor Chasers. ' _I just hope Harry was talking about me when he said he was in love!'_

Little did she expect Harry to end up going to a broom closet with someone different to her, despite the dreams that she was going to have over the next few nights.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer  
> This story uses themes and characters from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, whose rights as author are respected.  
> Just like "GryffindorTom" on Facebook to get all of the latest news, bits I'm working on, story updates and much more. Please remember to review this story as it helps improve the stories that I write for you guys. It's the only payment, along with adding to community's and favourites that I get for writing these, and I admit I enjoy that payment.  
> Story ID - 114


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